Sugar concentrations rise nonetheless

The impact of the vegetal impurities, which Datagro said had topped 10% at one case, is being masked in rates of sugars in cane by the boost to this reading from drought.

Industry group Unica in fact estimates the Centre sugar concentration reading, or ATR, up 1.2% so far in 2014-15.

"Because of drought, we see a stepped-up rate of ATR," the acronym for sugar concentrations, Mr Nastari told the sugar conference.

Nonetheless, the counting in of extra leaves and weeds may go some way to explaining a broader issue of ATR weakness which has been in train for years, with the figure dropping steadily from 140.5 kilogrammes per tonne of cane in 2010 to 133.3 kilogrammes last year.

"We have been wondering ATR rates have been in decline. This may be the answer," one executive at a major sugar group told Arimoney.com at the conference.